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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Movie Review: Superman vs. The Elite

Superman’s personal code demands that he bring violent
criminals to justice as opposed to killing them on the spot. He has always done so dutifully, and his
public has always loved him for it. Alas,
times are changing. The masses have
grown weary of homicidal villains who seemingly don’t respond to Superman’s methods. Consequently, many world leaders begin to
question Superman’s effectiveness as a hero.
Enter The Elite, a violent super-team who offer themselves as a viable
alternative. Unlike Superman, The Elite
have no problem administering capital punishment. They see Superman as a relic of the past, and
openly defy his authority. The
ideological differences between the two culminate in a deadly showdown. Will truth, justice, and the American way
ultimately prevail?

Superman vs. The Elite
is the 14th animated original film from the DC Universe. It’s an adaptation of a story that originally
appeared Action Comics issue #775. That
story was titled “What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?” It was conceived largely in response to the
massive success of The Authority, a
dark and edgy superhero comic that was all the rage at the time. It tackled a central problem with the Superman
mythos: Is such a quaint hero still relevant to the modern world? Superman
vs. The Elite examines this theme in a thoughtful and entertaining manner, matching
and in some cases upstaging its source material in the process.

The timing of Superman
vs. The Elite’s release is uncanny. It’s coming into the market place just
as another, very similar ideological battle is being fought in a different
medium. Instead of playing out on the
comic book page, it’s being waged at the worldwide box office. Both The
Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises
are engaged in a showdown. One
represents the “grim and gritty” approach that has been in vogue since Tim
Burton’s Batman. The other seems more in line with the currently
popular zeitgeist, as it presents a more traditional and colorful aesthetic. That conflict mirrors the one at the very
heart of Superman vs. The Elite.

The central theme of Superman
vs. The Elite is familiar territory for the DCAU. It was examined in Batman: Under The Red Hood. That
film dealt with Batman’s refusal to kill The Joker in spite of his homicidal
nature. At first glance, the visual
aesthetic of Superman vs. The Elite is
misleading. There are early references
to prior animated incarnations of the title character. The opening credits montage includes many
images from The New Adventures of
Superman. Sound effects from the Super Friends are used. Such touches serve to deceive the viewer,
making them anticipate something much lighter in tone than what is actually in
store. However, the film gets
progressively darker and more violent as it goes along. Even the language
becomes saltier. The film courts the
darker corners of the DC Universe without fully tipping over into the abyss.

One of the most interesting aspects of Superman vs. The Elite is how it incorporates a number of tricks from
other well-known works.Like both Robocop and Batman:The Dark Knight Returns, it keeps the
viewer conscious of the media/public reaction to the hero. At times, it even plays like an alternate
version of DKR, albeit one told from
Superman’s perspective. Also included in
the thematic mix is The Dark Knight. Just as the criminals of Christopher Nolan’s Gotham
City desperately turn to the Joker in their time of need, the citizens of
Metropolis turn to The Elite when Superman no longer seems up to the challenge
of its chosen protector.

Most interesting is the way the film visualizes the
Elite. Their leader, Manchester Black,
is not only an Englishman, but wears a shirt emblazoned with the Union Jack
flag. That flag is associated by many
with the Punk Rock movement thanks to The Sex Pistols. This is symbolic of what The Elite represent
in the world of Superheroism: Anarchy and a rebuke of old fashioned
values. From Menagerie’s overt sexuality
to Hat’s mastery of the occult, these guys are not the chaste, wholesome
superheroes of old. Just like Superman
himself, viewers who prefer traditional superheroes are meant to see this group
as threat to all they hold dear. They
also represent the inherent contradiction in revolutionary youth
movements. Without exception, the
proponents of the new regime inevitably become what they claim to be against.

Superman vs. The Elite
is in the top tier of DCAU offerings. It’s
well balanced, offering a plethora of rich themes and thrilling action
sequences. It takes its cues from the
best live action superhero blockbusters, opting to be something more than just
an empty spectacle. That’s much than can
be said for Bryan Singer’s dreary yet slick looking Superman Returns. That
failed experiment is actually a good example of how not to do this kind of
story. Singer claimed his film to be an
examination of what it means to be an icon.
Director Michael Chang and Writer Joe Kelly offer up a much better
example of that. The man of steel lends
himself well to animation and, Superman
vs. The Elite takes full advantage of his legacy and likeness. One can only hope that Zack Snyder’s film
does the same.

About Me

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Scott Wilson, deep thinker and blogger extraordinaire. I'm also a published author and proud father. Last but certainly not least, I'm a single (IE Available), but I'm definitely looking to change that. My life is an ongoing work in progress, and I'm always looking to improve.